The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-27

In our backwoods-in the remote, thinly- peo-
Piled regions the forest-encompassed, lonesome
places-there is here and there mind which is
prey upon itself; mind. though reveing in
the glorics of nature. which is gnawed by
ceaseless craving for what pure nature does not
give. The lonely, misunderstood, pointed-a.
unhappiness of such ones is tragedy too subtle
for words. One would fain say it were better
for such ones had they been born, like their
neighbors. with the mental horizon bounded by
the corn-feld and the settlement. the spinning
wheel and the country dance.
The case lover at Solomon Walkers was in
some ways remarkable. A young girl there had
developed in a strange, unneard-of way, and her
talents necessarily could not be comprehended,
and were misunderstood. Not essentially IN
like her friends the beginning, it was gradual
growth with her and one which stole upon them
all unawares, as it were-though old Mrs. Walk
claimed to have had her misgivings from the
first. Unlike them she was, however. from the
day of her birth, in the matter of her name. A
thing passing strange it was indeed. that babe
born in the far interior of this back woods wire
grass country should have been called not Sarah
or Polly or Mary Ann, but by so bizarre
as Ariadne!
This was one of the unfortunate mistakes
Solomon Walker thought in after life. He had
had no hand in it. 1t was the school teacher
who had done it on the young wife's invitation
that strange wise man, who knew everything
about the ancient world and nothing about the
modern; who had fallen among them a sick.
belated stranger. his way sup the country
to take charge of school, and who was ten
derby cared for until he died. leaving them his
blessing and his books. He called her Ariadne,
because she came with the opening of the
spring. But this was not all. Solomon Walker
always deplored that his young wife had died
while the babe WAS yet in arms leav-
Ing only him IAN the grammar to
raise her'-that there were no young
companions for her about the lonesome place
and especially that she tuck sech a curisome
notion ter them books the dead schoolmast or
had unfortunately left in her path Through
these he traced accommodating causes Of what
they came at last TO look upon Ariadne's
strange dstemper. Old Mrs. Walker. who be-
lieved in ''sisns," went further. She pointed
ont that on the day of Aradnes birth the waters
of the lake had begun to s:nk-a sinking which
had gone till only little water remained
hers and there in small pools, one Of which APP
pcared TO DO bottomless On that day. too.
seven turkeys flew mp out of the yard and Joined
their wild kindred in the swamp. Had it been
any other than the mystic number seven, Mrs.
Walker doubtless would not have been dis
turbed as II was. she noted bad SIGN" then
and there. and afterwari IN her own peculiar
way connected 1t with all that was ''curisome'
about her granddaughter.
They discussed all this afterward-not lin the
beginning. for Ariadne developed from badyhood
into bright docile little girl strong of limb and
beautiful OF feature. the light OF her fathers
eye and an ever cheering companion to the
grandmother through hor lonely hours. The
place was far remote and lonely to a degree
which can hardly be conceived by the man Of
our modern world The domain of the neares
neishbor was ech; miles away; the little country
church was turther yet Thy two miles or more
The Walkers were rot renowned as professors
tof religionl. and but rarely made the journey t.
church. where little Ariadne taken NOR,
rarely still and 80 il that the child grew NJ
almost withou; any knowledge whatever of PEG
pie and things existing beyond the boundaries
of her fathers forest home.
At point where two roads met four mile
away was little log house of one room onl,
where tho usual three months school" of til,
back woods was Taught Hther Ariadne came
in her tenth year riding away from her bom,
every morning AT sunrise on the back of docil
mule which was selected because no u rgini
could force him out Of a walk. During four sue
cessiye summers she rode this slow paced ami
NAL every day to the humble temple of lea Iine
at the ross.roads, receiving in this way twev
months of schooling IN all. She learned to real
gether with the rudmerts OF the scienct
of 'how to 6gure," made up tn,
sum of those possessed by the teache
himself who was of local renown merel,
and nor imported, like tho one who hal
died This man took considerable pride in III
progress Of '.hat'ere little gal O Sol Walkers,
although. at times she annoyed him sadly b,
her questions. which often reached beyond HI
limited horizon. II was said that she 'stalled
him saveral times day toward the last and tn
unhappy man was doubtless greatly relieved
when her father decided that she needed to at
tend the school no more.
No one was alarmed az yet, however Arad
nos real 'distemper" dated from her discovery
when fourteen years ole, Of the dead school
masters books, which had been packed away il
some far corner. On that very day she aston
goddess was, and asking her if sh
replied that she had never hear,
tell OF any such thing, although she had "bee
roun good bit" in Coffee county during he
sixty-flve years Of residence there's still ther
might be snch a thing in Dooly-she could no
speak for Dooly About the same time Ariadn
asked her father where Greece was, how ia
away, etc; anf, as he had never heard of tina
country, and the name suggested no more no
less than the essence Of bacon, Solomon Walk
er's feelings may be imagined.
Her questions meeting no answers, Ariadne
Imagination supplied answers for herself and ,
Was a strange world which she constructed
Henceforwari she was welded to the schoo
master s books. With the school text books sh
accomplished but little. ans. soon put them bv: bu
there were the translaiions OF the works of thre
ancient Greek historians: Herodotus, Thucydide.
aud Xenophon. which she read and reread in tn
course of time sliding blindly over the words sh
could not understand. and going on, always e
ing on, and receiving vivid, ineffaceabe impre
sious. Among the books were also the tragedie
of Eschylus and Sophoces in English. pope
translation Of the Had and copy OF Shakspaar
ALL OK which she read many times. her mind
last becoming 50 charged with the spirit an
even the language of these poets that at timt
she uneonsciously spoke in pompous, ha
rhythmic sentences. which her hearers coul
only compare with what the preachs
read out OF Job. 1t is not hard to ina
inc the effect Of these ancient author
on n hungry mind shut out from the moder
world Wifh6iif afr chi